Help with '92 929 HD engine problems please

[thodkins@bigpond.net.au]

Hi from Australia,

Need help please.....
I recently bought a '92 (built 12/91) HD which is in great condition & really nice to drive.
I have 2 problems which may or may not be related.
1/ On cold start up the engine has a noise at idle which I think sounds like the timing chain guide.Ok when engine warm.
2/ Again on cold engine start the engine initially revs higher than normal idle &WHITE smoke comes out of the exhaust until engine warms up. Then no smoke.
Car has less than 100,000 miles & had new pistons , rings, bearings etc . etc. recently (a few months before I bought it) .
Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Trevor

[Matsuda 9]

ok first things first, the car has a timing belt and no chain

1. sounds like HLA (hydraulic Latch Adjuster aka hydraulic Lifter) when they get old, they do not maintain oil pressure within themselves so until they warm up and build oil pressure they will tap the top of the valve. once oil pressure is up there will be oil "pillow" that will not allow the tick and maintain the proper gap
2. the white smoke (especially in the cold weather that we have been having) is normal, its a problem when it does not go away after it warms up

[thodkins@bigpond.net.au]

ok first things first, the car has a timing belt and no chain

1. sounds like HLA (hydraulic Latch Adjuster aka hydraulic Lifter) when they get old, they do not maintain oil pressure within themselves so until they warm up and build oil pressure they will tap the top of the valve. once oil pressure is up there will be oil "pillow" that will not allow the tick and maintain the proper gap
2. the white smoke (especially in the cold weather that we have been having) is normal, its a problem when it does not go away after it warms up[/b]

[thodkins@bigpond.net.au]

Hi & thanks very much for the helpful reply.
Question: do I need to get the hydraulic lifter(s) fixed - can it cause other damage ? is it likely stay the same or progressively get worse ? whats involved in getting it fixed - big job ?
I see that your in Melbourne, I'm in Sydney.
What model Mazda do you have?

Regards,
Trev.

[Matsuda 9]

i have HC (model before) but mine is a Luce as it is gray import from Japan.

the job is not big, just expensive and annoying. well it is big as cams would need to be removed in order to get to the HLAs.

it will get worse, eventually will tick all the time. damage, it will have minor effect on the compression (as timing of the valve will be off). it could effect the timing in general if knock sensors will decide to pay attention to it and retard timing.

what you can do first is:

1. use engine flush
2. change oil/filter and go with lighter oil

[thodkins@bigpond.net.au]

Thanks again for your help; sorry to be a nuisance but......
1/ what's involved with "engine flush" & what weight or type of oil would you suggest ? would fully synthetic oil be better ?
2/ white smoke on cold engine start is really quite bad & slowly reduces as temp. gauge gets up towards normal. When reved it's real bad watercomes out of the exhaust. Is this normal ? Does it just need a good long run on the highway ?
Is it running too rich on warm up or could something be wrong with the injector sensors?
Really appreciate your input as I'm not real mechanical (as you probably already know) & not too flush with funds !
Regards,
Trev.

[Matsuda 9]

engine flash is an additive that you add to the oil in your engine before changing oil and filter. they are available from any auto shop
10W-40 i think is recommended, i'm sure HDers HEers here will help you out here. fully synth oil is good, but will depend on condition of the motor, if you have any slow leaks, it will make them worse (synth oil has detergents)

white smoke and watter out of exhaust is fine if it goes away once it warms up (have a look inside your exhaust tip, if its black all is good, if it has brown or white residue, then you have watter in th exhaust).
Cat will convert bad sh!t in exhaust to watter O2 etc. (have a look on the net for how the Catalytic Converter works)

when cold: rich and high rpms are fine, the car has a warm up stage after start up.

honestly, these are not the best cars for 'not mechanical' and/or 'not too flush with funds'

but this car will teach you a lot, and will be fantastic if you look after it

[thodkins@bigpond.net.au]

engine flash is an additive that you add to the oil in your engine before changing oil and filter. they are available from any auto shop
10W-40 i think is recommended, i'm sure HDers HEers here will help you out here. fully synth oil is good, but will depend on condition of the motor, if you have any slow leaks, it will make them worse (synth oil has detergents)

white smoke and watter out of exhaust is fine if it goes away once it warms up (have a look inside your exhaust tip, if its black all is good, if it has brown or white residue, then you have watter in th exhaust).
Cat will convert bad sh!t in exhaust to watter O2 etc. (have a look on the net for how the Catalytic Converter works)

when cold: rich and high rpms are fine, the car has a warm up stage after start up.

honestly, these are not the best cars for 'not mechanical' and/or 'not too flush with funds'

but this car will teach you a lot, and will be fantastic if you look after it [/b]

[thodkins@bigpond.net.au]

Hi Matsuda 9,
Took the HD for a 2 hour highway run on Wednesday night (first decent run since I bought it). No white smoke when I got home & almost none next morning. Just started the car tonight & white smoke again until engine hot. Inside end of exhaust pipe is black. Any suggestions ?
Noticed that one of the pipes from the muffler had a simple valve in it actuated by a cable .What's this all about ?

Handbook says 20W/50 oil. Forgive my ignorance but is 10W/40 lighter ? Will do the engine flush soon & try lighter grade oil to see if this quietens the hydraulic lifter noise when car is first started.
I asked about fully synthetic oil because this is what is recommended & what I use on my wifes 2002 VW Passat.
I bought the 929 because I really like the look of them, this one is in really terrific condition body,paint & trim wise & fairly recently has had auto replaced, new rings,bearings,belts etc.plus rotors,pads & tyres are good too. It drives beautifully. The only thing wrong with it (other than the white smoke!) that I can find is that the sun roof needs help to close which I'm not worried about because I won't use it.
I do minor repairs & basic servicing on the cars but other than oil/plugs/leads/filters etc I go to a mechanic.
Maybe the 929 isn't the right car for me but unfortunately I've fallen in love with it !
Thanks again for your help,
Regards,
Trev.

[Matsuda 9]

ok, if the inside of the tip is fine then you all ok, plus it has been cold lately. as i said, read up on the way the cat works will provide you with a lot more understanding (your passat should be doing something similar, but for shorter period time)

the valve(this all from memory) in the exhaust is a luxury feature in HD, when you idling or driving at low RPMs it is open recirculating the exhaust through muffler twice making it virtually silent. once you put the foot down, the valve will shut and exhaust will go through the muffler once and out (where the bit of roar comes from that surprises some people on the road)

yes 10W is lighter then 20W.... it is strange that they recommend fairly heavy oil.... i use 10W semi synth mine. with the engine flush, follow the instructions to the T they can do a bit of harm if the instructions are not followed.

with sunroof, you will need to clean your guides. until you do that i would recommend not using it, as motor will get weak. if you don't want to do that you can just get silicon spray and spray the guides, but that is a half arsed way to do it.

i didn't mean that its a bad car for you, i'm stoked that another one find good loving home, but i am just preparing you. these cars are a pain on the knuckles and on the wallet